And the Inside Job - for Eliot Spencer

[stillageek]

One of the many advantages of being the hacker is you don't have to deal with your co-workers all that much. Which can be a literal lifesaver when your co-workers are the deadliest people on the planet.

Hardison is camped out in his server room, pulling up information and data for the various jobs that are coming up for the assassins. And, as usual, looking into the online habits of his co-workers. It's his way to protect himself, digging up dirt on all these guys to keep them at bay. So far it's been working. He hasn't been in Moreau's services for very long and it hasn't been pleasant (no, sir, it has not been pleasant at all) and in the beginning nobody expects him to survive very long.

But then Hardison lives up to his reputation and starts making things happen, digs up information that is thought to be impossible to get, gets a hold of people who are impossible to find, gets into systems they used to work around before because they're impossible to hack. And people take note. If Moreau's personal e-mails can be believed (which of course Hardison totally doesn't read) the boss even wants him to work with Spencer on one of the next jobs. He hasn't met Moreau's favorite yet but what he found out about the guy so far has him nervous in advance.

There's an alert and one of his screens light up, revealing a window with an online poker webpage. There's a second window next to it with code running in the corner. The webpage informs him that beefboy has entered the lobby.

Hardison rolls over in his swiveling chair, grabbing one of the keyboards. "Now what you up to, Brett, my man? You gonna play a little? Spend some of that hard-earned cash? Come on then."

There's just something incredibly satisfying about having these murderjerks lose their blood money on his fake gambling sites. Hardison watches the game unfold for a while, upping Brett's chances here and there, giving him a couple of good runs and waits until the assassin gets greedy. Then he quickly types a line of commands, causing the AI's cards to flip around right before Brett calls. The screen blinks and then the poker site informs that beefboy's winnings have just dropped down to a big fat 0.

There's an enraged howl coming from somewhere in the mansion and Hardison grins, clapping his hands together and giggling. "Ohh yeah, I got you. I got you good! In your face. Where's your beef now, huh? Where's your beef!? At the butchers, that's where it's at!"

While his analyzing programs run some calculations for his actual work he gets up to get himself some food from the kitchen. It's gonna be a long day of pulling data and getting ready for his meeting with Spencer, so he'd probably better grab some snacks while he's still got the chance.

Stepping outside he slows when he passes by a very angry assassin in the hallway. Hardison knows he probably shouldn't be pushing his luck too much but that angry vein that looks like it's about to pop is just too tempting. "Yo, Brett, what's the matter? You having a bad day, my man? Did I hear you scream earlier?"

There's murder in Brett's eyes (but then again when is there not?) and that tower of a man steps up to him. "You looking for a beating there, geek?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't do that if I were you. See, a little birdy told me that you've been using the company's credit card for some little personal shopping. ... The birdy is my computer, by the way. It's, I call it birdy, it's like a..." He trails off when Brett looks at him like he's going to snap his face in two.

"I'm gonna put your head underwater until you beg me to put a knife between your eyes."

Hardison frowns. "Uh, no you won't. Come on, b-boy, you know the drill? The moment something happens to me there's like an e-mail that goes straight to the boss. It's called automatic forwarding. You should look it up."

Brett looms and pushes past him very closely, growling. "You better watch your back, Hardison."

"Oh! Oh! No. What's that? No touching. You know the rules. No, there's no touch, you don't touch me." He holds up his hands, turning in a half-circle while Brett stomps past him and calls after him. "Can't touch this, baby! Yeah, I'm teflon! I'm the teflon man, they call me Mr. T. And the t is for teflon!"

The grin drops off his face once Brett disappears around the corner. God, he is scared to death of these guys.

It doesn't stop him from humming a little tune as he walks into the kitchen, though. Seems empty but there's something simmering on the stove. Hardison randomly sticks his hand inside to grab some of the food, tossing it in his mouth as he walks past it.

Stops.

Walks backwards until he's back at the pot and stares at it because damn. Damn, baby.

He grabs a small bowl from the cabinet, helping himself to some more.

Comments

[setthetone]

He wakes slowly, slowly, and the first thing he notices is that his mouth is really dry, like waking up at 3 a.m. and all you want is that one sip of water that makes everything alright again.

Signs of dehydration, must have been out for a couple of hours...

It's strange, he doesn't usually sleep that tight anymore. It's more the light slumber he was accustomed to at the ER, ready to jump and be alert at a moment's notice. There's just no room to let his guard down for a deep slumber anymore.

There's a low hum and Carter wonders if someone had turned up the AC. But back home it's a modern AC, one that you don't really hear and this one is droning and vibrating, almost like a car moving and...

"W-wha...?" His head lolls from one side to the other a couple of times as he comes to. "'s happening...?"

[likeknives]

Eliot's stormy face is fully focused on the lonely, empty road, the repeating highway lights casting an eerie, flashing golden glow in the late/very early hour. How far had they gotten? They certainly weren't anywhere near D.C. anymore, and the rolling hills meant they were either approaching the Appalachians or past them, further into Tennessee or Kentucky.

The car is perfectly non-descript, a simple dark blue Ford Fusion that's clearly seen better days. It's rented under one of Eliot's many aliases (and one that Moreau doesn't know) and not stolen, so he'd bought them some time.

24-48 hours. Maybe, if they were lucky.

"Hey." Eliot looks over at Carter, frowning. "You up?"

[setthetone]

His head falls to the side, his eyes fluttering open and settling on Eliot, trying to focus. "Wh-- 'liot?"

John groans, tilting his head back, trying to stop the world from spinning. "What's... going on?"

[likeknives]

"There's water in the drink holder next to you, on your right. You're probably gonna be real thirsty for a little bit."

He keeps his voice carefully neutral.

"You're in a car. My car. Well, it's not actually my car, it's a rental..."

[setthetone]

"A c-car...?"

That's bad. He knows that's bad for some reason but he can't quite grasp why. But water first, water is more important, water is so important right now. His hands grab the bottle next to him clumsily, and he's gulping its contents down greedily.

Some of it runs down the side of his mouth and down his chin and he sets the bottle down with a gasp. "Y-you drugged me."

[likeknives]

"Yeah. And...sorry about that. Knocking you out isn't an exact science, and I didn't want you to wake up in the middle of trying to get you in here, so...normally I'd just knock you out."

As if that's some kind of consolation?

[setthetone]

"W-where are we?"

His head comes back down and he stares out the windshield into... nothingness. Stares out the side window into more nothingness, empty landscapes flying by.

His eyes widen slightly.

"What have you done?"

[likeknives]

"We're...a long way away."

He keeps his eyes on the road, but he glances back towards Carter. He's expecting this to not go well, and takes a deep breath.

"This is me keeping my promises."

[setthetone]

"N-no."

Suddenly fear drops in his stomach, cold and heavy. He looks over at Eliot.

"You didn't do that. Tell me you didn't do that."

[likeknives]

"I got in and out without anybody seeing. Bought us some extra time." Maybe.

He grips the steering wheel a little harder.

"There's some stuff in the back. Extra clothes, toothpaste, the usual. We've got enough food and water to last us a week without having to buy some anywhere and right now we're basically off the grid. I've got a safehouse in Oklahoma we're heading towards. They're not gonna find us."

Maybe.

Eliot's armed, and it's the first time in...a long time that he's carrying. He didn't want to, he hated the heaviness both physical and in his soul that it brought. And it's jarring, seeing Carter in this context and wanting nothing to do with guns. When he'd first met Carter, he couldn't imagine living without them.

[setthetone]

Carter shakes his head, just a little at first, then stronger the more Eliot keeps telling him.

"H-he's gonna think I left."

In a sudden fit of panic his hand flops over trying to find the door handle, his movements still sluggish, clumsy. It's locked and the handle snaps back uselessly. No, no, no...!

"He's gonna think I left with you! You have to bring me back!"

[likeknives]

Eliot looks back over at Carter trying to get out, and sets his jaw. He's prepared for this, prepared for him melting down, but it's likely going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

"We're not goin' back."

[setthetone]

"You have to bring me back," Cater repeats, upset and strangely unguarded.

"Eliot, this is not the time, you have no idea what you're doing!"

[likeknives]

"I know what I'm doin'!" It's snapped, and he has no right to be angry at Carter--even expecting this reaction, but he can't help but respond to Carter's energy.

"I know what I'm doin'."

[setthetone]

He works the car door a couple of times. Maybe it says something about his current state of (upset) mind, that he obviously wants to be some smashed up roadkill more than continuing on this wilde ride, but he rattles at the car door angrily.

"Let me go!!"

[likeknives]

"Carter, stop--you're not gettin' out!"

That's just annoying, now.

"I'm savin' your life."

[setthetone]

Did you really expect him to listen, though.

He keeps rattling, trying to throw his body against the door...

... then looking for the seatbelt because it kind of gets in the way.

[likeknives]

No, not really.

"You gonna keep tryin'? Because I can tell you now--and you know how good I am at my job--you ain't gettin' out of this car unless I say so."

[setthetone]

"You... son of a... bitch."

Carter falls back against the seat, his head pounding from the sudden exertion. He pants, feeling exhausted and grabs the water bottle again, gulping down some more of the liquid.

"Y-you kidnapped me. You kidnapped me from Damien."

[likeknives]

A muscle twitches on his face, as he sets his jaw.

"Yeah, I kinda did."

[setthetone]

"We're dead. We're going to die."

Carter shakes his head, his face still pale with shock, like he can't believe this is actually happening.

"W-why would you do that, how could you be so stupid, why would you do that..."

[likeknives]

"We're not going to die."

This time he looks over at him a little longer.

"Do you think I'd let that happen to you?"

Except--

"It wasn't stupid--" Slightly agitated now.

Except maybe it was.

[setthetone]

"No, you're right, we're probably not gonna be so lucky."

Carter scoffs, running his hands over his face.

"What about it isn't stupid!? You were going to do a job for Moreau! Instead now you're on his most wanted list. It's the definition of stupid! I don't believe you!"

[likeknives]

Really, Carter, you just gotta say his fears out loud like that, making them all real and stuff? Eliot tries to focus more on the road, but seriously, he's getting a little bit pissed off now--

"You think I don't know the risks? You actually think I don't know exactly what we're gettin' into? I wouldn't throw my job away for nothin', I wouldn't throw away my not-being-on-Moreau's-most-wanted list for nothin'! It was for you, man!"

[setthetone]

"I never asked you to! In fact, I specifically asked you not to, not to do that!"

With the drug slowly wearing off his adrenaline level rises steadily because oh God, what time is it, what day is it, Damien must have realized he's missing now, Brett must have realized he's missing now and no, no no, he can't, this can't be happening, not after last time.

"I don't want your amends, I don't want your redemption, Eliot! I don't want this!